AIC Statement

Tuesday July 14, 2015: Negotiators representing the P5+1 and Iran made history today as they announced a comprehensive deal to peacefully resolve the protracted nuclear issue. The American Iranian Council, the oldest think tank consistently advocating better US-Iran relations and a peaceful resolution to the nuclear issue, supports the deal in the hope that it will be dutifully implemented and lead to normalization of US-Iran relations. While this is a major breakthrough, the implementation phase still faces a skeptical US Congress, deep mistrust between the two governments, and other thorny issues. The AIC hopes that the two sides move forward in good faith with the political will to overcome these obstacles and to achieve sanctions relief and a purely peaceful Iranian nuclear program.

While these negotiations intentionally focused on the nuclear issue exclusively, it is crucial that the United States and Iran use this opportunity to pivot toward the broader relationship. Issues such as regional security, stability in Iraq and Afghanistan, eliminating ISIS and other extremist groups, stemming the flow of drug trafficking, and ensuring the free flow of oil are all areas in which both countries have deep shared interests and opportunities for cooperation. Moreover, the deal announced in Vienna is to remove all of the nuclear-related sanctions that were imposed by the United Nations, the European Union, and the United States. Removal of sanctions is a major change for the Iranian economy, and something for which only the AIC has consistently advocated since 1990. In time, it will both benefit the Iranian people and allow for more international trade and business in a country located in a strategically vital region, with huge oil and natural gas reserves, as well as a highly-educated population of 80 million craving global integration.

Most importantly, if all sides hold up their end of the bargain, this nuclear deal will go a long way toward reducing the intense mistrust and tension between the United States and Iran, helping to lead to normalized relations, a goal that only the American Iranian Council has unwaveringly promoted for 25 years. Essentially, this negotiated settlement will set a precedent whereby diplomacy and engagement will have peacefully resolved an issue that years of military threats, coercion, and isolation could not. This would be a pro-peace paradigm shift in a region embroiled in instability and conflict. It is a goal for which all peace-loving people should advocate.